Activities of the Korea ALICE group for the development and production of the next-generation silicon tracker

Abstract

ALICE 3 is the proposed next-generation heavy-ion experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC), envisioned for operation during Run 5. The tracking system of ALICE 3 will consist of a high-precision vertex detector integrated into a retractable structure inside the beam pipe, complemented by a large-area outer tracker covering a broad pseudorapidity range. Both systems will be based on the Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor (MAPS) technology, building upon the developments realized for the recently upgraded ALICE Inner Tracking System (ITS2) and the future ITS3 upgrade. The total silicon area of the ALICE 3 tracking system is expected to be approximately five times larger than that of ITS2, presenting significant challenges in terms of large-scale sensor testing and module production. To address these challenges, research and development activities have been initiated in Korea, including the adaptation of an automated die-attach machine, commonly used in the semiconductor packaging industry, for efficient sensor-to-substrate assembly. This contribution presents the ongoing efforts of the Korea ALICE group toward the development and production of the ALICE 3 silicon tracker. The scope includes sensor evaluation, automated assembly techniques, and prototype module construction, with the aim of establishing scalable procedures for future mass production.